Environmental

HUNT CLUB ® ANIMAL BEDDING
ADDRESSES ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS "The Stall & Manure Management System That Impacts the Bottom Line!" (Download Product Literature)

Much of the current environmental regulatory efforts are focused on the reducing phosphorous levels in our nation’s streams and water systems. Phosphorous is the most limiting nutrient for growth in almost all of our, fresh and salt-water ponds, lakes, rivers, streams and bays. When phosphorous levels increase, populations of filamentous algae and a variety of microscopic organisms explode, causing massive algal blooms and other serious environmental problems.

Phosphorous in the environment comes from many sources. One major source nationally is improperly handled animal manures. If too much manure is applied to soils, or if it is improperly stored, phosphorous can run off or leach into water systems.

The dynamics phosphorous releases from manures and soils to water systems are strongly affected by the local hydrology and soils characteristics. Science’s knowledge of the complex nature of manure/soil/water phosphorous chemical reactions is incomplete. We do know, a sustained program of manure phosphorous reduction and utilization is needed to ultimately lower phosphorous discharges into water.

A single 1000-pound horse excretes over 30 pounds of phosphorous, as P2O5, each year. The challenge for horse owners is to create a manure utilization system that greatly reduces, or eliminates, manure phosphorous discharges to our watercourses.

Notice the term “utilization system”, with current technologies the easiest and most cost effective way to solve phosphorous loading problems is to use the manure fertilizer nutrients, in agricultural or horticultural crop production. Phosphorous tied up in growing, harvestable crops is not available for leaching or run-off into water systems. A good manure system shunts the plant nutrient, like phosphorous, away from water and into crop growth.

Unfortunately, because most horses are bedded on wood chips or sawdust, the manure is not suitable for crop production. The very wide carbon to nitrogen ratio, (C:N), of horse manure and raw wood products, induces a nitrogen deficiency in growing crops, which reduces yield. Therefore, farmers and horticulturalists won’t use the manure, and it often ends up stockpiled, in ever growing piles, near the stable.

Composting narrows the C:N and, in theory, could make the manure good for crop production. However, the wide C:N, and other properties of the wood, also makes these materials very hard to successfully compost.

Hunt Club bedding on the other hand, is a highly compostable, cardboard, based bedding product that does not induce the nitrogen deficiency discussed above. Because it is compostable, it is extremely valuable in stabilizing manure, and reducing the volume so the manure phosphorous and other fertilizer nutrients can be easily recycled into growing crops.

Actually Hunt Club bedding is itself a recycled product. Our manufacturing process involves cutting, removing the dust and specially treating, recycled cardboard boxes. NOT USED BOXES, but clean new boxes that are in the waste stream because they did not meet some other company’s packaging specks.

Our bedding product is already in strong demand and we hope that you will try it soon. However, our real hope is to partner with you, and other horse owners, to create a truly innovative and integrated horse manure utilization system. We are particularly interested in completing the recycling loop, by helping you set up a system to move composted manure products into local horticultural and agricultural operations, and out of our nation’s water.

ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE
Recyclable, Renewable & Biodegradable

Willamette Industries’ Research and Development Lab states, “A normal corrugated box will decompose readily in the soil. By shredding the box you will allow greater contact with microbes and accelerate the process. The fiber is actually beneficial to the soil, providing tilth and improving the moisture holding capacity. It is made from safe, food-grade products such as wood fiber and starch so you don’t have to be concerned with toxic materials. If you finely shred corrugated and mix them well, turning the soil and processing it like normal compost, most of the corrugated will be fairly broken down in a week or two and it will be about “gone” in a month.

Our products are available in pallets, truck loads or by the bag. See our Order Product section for further details.